My mk1 came with 30mm Spax lowering springs that the previous owner put on because he thought the car looked ‘jacked up’. The ride height does look just right (in a Knight Riderish sort of way).
While the handling on a smooth sweeping slip road is sublime, on the freshly snow-damaged Somerset B-roads I mostly inhabit the ride is too often wince inducing - it’s always bottoming out, and when 2-up a speed bump has to be taken at crawl-pace to avoid excruciating scraping noises.
Should I return to standard springs? Would Autolink’s sport springs be a good compromise?
I’m no expert (after all an ‘ex’ is just a has-been and a ‘spurt’ a fast drip) but I think your problem may lie with putting the spax with the standard shocks. I’ve had mine paired up for over two months now and done everything from fast blasts across the North Yorkshire moors and dales to chugging up and down the A1 to Bedfordshire and never once bottomed out, even with a boot full of stuff and a hitch hiker!
Not much help (sorry) but maybe changing the shocks may help? There will be someone on here with much more technical know-how that will add something shortly I’m sure…
I think you’re right about the shocks - Spax too say that new shocks are required. I’ve gone OE springs, but I’ll keep hold of the Spax in case the shocks / bump stops / bushes are knackered and I’ll be taking it all apart again soon anyway.
Just got round to fitting the OE spec springs. Ride height up by 20-25 mm. Feel of the car has changed - turn in is a little softer, body roll a little more noticeable. Ride a tiny bit smoother, but not as much in it as I thought there might be. Ruts in the road are no longer pain inducing!
so what have you ended up with standard dampers and standard springs or gaz dampers and standard spring
only reason i ask is thaat my brothers car has gas dampers and spring all round and is way to low so we need to put new springs on it and just wondered what you used
Speak to andrew at autolink and ask him about OE spec Mk 2 dampers and springs on a Mk 1 which i have done what a differance it makes,tell him it as come from wayne
After a few days getting used to the new feel of the car it’s absolute bliss. The stuff I used to drive around on the way to work I just drive straight over now, and gone is the feeling a bumpy country road might throw you off into a ditch on a corner.
If you want me to i will but all i have done is get a set of Mk 2 dampers complete and swap the standard Mk 1’s for 2’s god you can feel the difference rides the same as my Mk 2 now pure joy on the old bum not as many rattles and noises bought them from andrew at autolinkuk.co.uk,working on the wiring at the moment so i can put the Mk 2 wiper motor on the Mk 1 so watch this space,if you need some pic’s let me know what your looking for and i will take a couple of photo’s for you.
Cheers Wayne, did you use all MK 2 stock parts? Dampers and springs or did you use lowering springs on the stock Mk2 dampers. I have Eibachs it would save me some cash if I could keepthem. I like the lowered ride height that the Eibachs give
I’ll check out Autolink in a few weeks as it does not look like they have any at present. MX5 heaven have some at 100 per pair front and rear. Does fitting these make the car sit lower?